READ THE CITIZENS' VOICE

Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Citizens' Voice on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at citizensvoice.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Contact Us
See department contacts, frequently asked questions, request customer service support, submit a photo or place an ad.

Article Tools

EMMAUS - As the evening began to set in, the lights went out at Emmaus' field.

And just around the same time, Hempfield slowly started to turn down the lights on Coughlin's season.

The Crusaders saw a 2-0 lead unravel into a 3-2 loss, Saturday in the PIAA Class AAA field hockey quarterfinals.

Hempfield (18-6) advances to the AAA semifinals on Tuesday and will play Penn Manor. Coughlin ends the season at 14-4

"It was one thing after another," Coughlin coach Colleen Wood said. "But the girls have nothing to hang their heads about. They played an awesome game."

Coughlin took control at the opening whistle and held a 2-0 lead with 7:49 left in the first half. Caitlin Wood scored the Crusaders' go-ahead goal as she flicked in a cross in the circle from Kyra Castano. Madysen Jones and Brigid Wood connected on the next score as Brigid Wood hit Jones at the post on a corner play. Jones turned and fired a shot into the far post.

From there things took a major swing in Hempfield's direction. The Black Knights got the ball in the cage on a batted down shot by Taylor Nolan. The whistle blew and the Knights began to celebrate, then it was waved off before the officials met at the top of the circle to decide on the goal. The high shot was questionable, but the officials stuck with their original call and rewarded Hempfield a score.

Things got worse for Coughlin in the second half. On its second straight corner of the half, Hempfield connected on Megan Bupp's pass from Kelsey Nolan, tying the score at two.

The Knights continued to pile up the penalty corners and while they did so, Coughlin was left with out its defensive fly, Brigid Wood. She was knocked in the nose with a stick but was also issued a yellow card on the same play, forcing her to sit for five minutes.

"We made our mistakes don't get me wrong, but there were a lot of phantom calls," Colleen Wood said. "I don't mind when its all on us, but it's a shame when a season is cut short because of other things."

Kelsey Nolan scored the game-winner with 4:49 left in the second half on a rebound shot. To add insult to injury, Coach Wood made a valiant attempt to call a time out and rally her team. Her pleas weren't heard right away and she finally was able to gather her squad together with two minutes left. Before she could deal with her team, however, she received a poorly timed verbal lashing from the head of officials that watched from the sidelines.

"I've never seen anything like it," Colleen Wood said. "All I did was ask for a time out."

Coughlin, the District 2 AAA champions, did its best to fight back the tears while coach Wood reigned them in and told them to hold strong. She was especially sympathetic to senior Paige Tedik. The goalie was solid all season and came up with 12 saves in the cage against Hempfield.

"The girls played their hearts out and I feel bad for the seniors," Colleen Wood said. "Paige had a phenomenal game. All four seniors all played great. It's just too bad."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.